We Need to Reverse This 'Me' Culture; Learning Core Values like Respect, Honesty and Compassion, Is Just as Important as the Three Rs, Says Dr Neil Hawkes. the Former Headteacher Tells LISA SALMON Why All Schools Should Embrace His Philosophy

We Need to Reverse This 'Me' Culture; Learning Core Values like Respect, Honesty and Compassion, Is Just as Important as the Three Rs, Says Dr Neil Hawkes. the Former Headteacher Tells LISA SALMON Why All Schools Should Embrace His Philosophy

Byline: LISA SALMON

DR NEIL Hawkes has started a "quiet revolution" - to see more UK schools embrace core morals and values, like kindness and honesty, and place as much importance on them as maths, English and science.

Most parents want their children to grow up with a strong set of values, and become decent adults, and Dr Hawkes believes that school life plays a crucial part in this.

Nurturing things like compassion, respect, honesty, Dr Hawkes the fourth R truthfulness and caring for others, is just as important as learning the Three Rs - and, according to Dr Hawkes's research in the UK and Australia, 87% of parents agree.

"Our values should underpin everything in our lives.

Children need to be taught about values in the same way they are taught boundaries," he says.

"The balance in society is tipping, the materialistic side has gathered pace and we are increasingly influenced by a 'me' culture.

"All of this decline has happened in our lifetimes, and it's up to us now to tackle the problem and reverse the trend."

It was while working as a headteacher in a primary school in Oxfordshire that Dr Hawkes began to recognise how these elements were lacking, and developing his values-based education philosophy, during the Nineties.

One in 10 UK primary schools are now values-based, but Dr Hawkes now feels the time is right to involve more educators and parents. He's set a target of reaching 50% of children in the next five years, and explains it all in his new book, From My Heart: Transforming Lives Through Values.

preaches respect "My mission now is to expand the concept to more and more schools. The prize is that it will help us and our children to enjoy happier and more fulfilling lives," he says.

"Values-based education's not a quick fix, it's a culture change which has a hugely positive impact on those who practice it," he adds.

In order for it to work, it's not just a question of teaching about values, in the tradition sense - Dr Hawkes explains that universal positive values (like compassion, respect, honesty, truth, trust, Christine secretary of Union of perseverance and care for others in lessons) should be taught and demonstrated in practice by teachers, as a thread running through every aspect of school life.

"You can't teach about values from a board," explains Dr Hawkes, "they have to be seen in practice.

"Our behaviour is shaped by what we see.

"If children are surrounded by bad examples, what chance do they have to formulate good practice?" And it's not just about schools, he adds - parents need to accept their role in developing values too, and it's a philosophy that could be embraced by Blower, general the National Teachers communities and workplaces as well.

While most, if not all, schools will already cover character and morals to some extent, the difference for Dr Hawkes is that he believes it should underpin everything.

"We want our children to be good learners and lovely people at the same time," he says, adding that embracing the concept can have wider benefits too, like increased attentiveness and more harmonious classrooms and playgrounds.

Pupils also have a greater sense of belonging fairness. …

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We Need to Reverse This 'Me' Culture; Learning Core Values like Respect, Honesty and Compassion, Is Just as Important as the Three Rs, Says Dr Neil Hawkes. the Former Headteacher Tells LISA SALMON Why All Schools Should Embrace His Philosophy

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